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brianblogss · 7 years ago

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I read a lot of writing in my line of work and while that’s amazing, I see the same flaws again and again. Below is a list of 7 common writing mistakes in fiction and how you can fix them. This list is by no means complete. In fact there’s a great list over at The Editor’s Blog that covers even more mistakes.

1. Bad dialogue

Sometimes writers can forget that they’re writing a conversation and thus not write a conversation. The dialogue can be boring, stilted and unnatural, and I’d rather listen to the territorial call of an Australian Raven than read one more word of it.

There are many things that contribute to bad dialogue, but here are the three that really get on my nerves:

Not using contractions–I’ve seen work that is modern and still doesn’t use contractions. Consider this: “You are going to be late.” Unless the speaker is trying to sound like an irritated mother and is leaving an emphatic silence between each word to sound threatening, use contractions. It sounds really drawn out and like the speaker is pointing their nose in the air. We generally don’t speak like this in real life, so neither should your characters.

Using complete sentences–Not only is it natural for your characters to chop their sentences, this can also contribute to their voice. Does your character say “I don’t know.” or “Dunno.” Would he/she say “I missed the train and had to find a lift home.” or “Missed the train. Had to find a ride.” In casual speech, we often only use the words necessary to convey our message, even if it doesn’t form a complete sentence. You shouldn’t apply this to every line of dialogue, but consider it if your dialogue sounds stale.

Using characters as a conduit for research and plot information–Sometimes writers like to show off their research (looking at you Jurassic Park), backstory, world building and plot by having their characters talk way too much. If your character says “Once this valley was home to an ancient race of elves, who looked after the land and treated it with respect. One day, the secret magic spring dried up and then the goblins came. Without their magic spring, the elves couldn’t fight back, and they were killed by the goblins. The goblins didn’t respect the land and now it’s uninhabitable.” he should probably shut up. It sounds less like a person talking than it does an audio tour. The information he’s shared could be given in a much more interesting way.

How you can fix it:

Listen to and watch the way real people talk to each other. Do they speak in full sentences with full words? Do they speak with grammatical correctness? Do they speak differently in different situations? How do hand gestures, body language and facial expressions help them communicate?

Read your dialogue out loud as if you’re practising lines for a movie. Does it sound natural? Does it flow?

Test every piece of information your characters give out. Does it all need to be said? Would your character say all of it at once? Do they need to say it all in so many words?

2. Passages of uninterrupted speech or thought

Sometimes you might want to avoid telling the reader about something and have a character tell another character instead. Sometimes you might want to avoid telling the reader how a character feels about something by having them think about it excessively instead. If this goes on for longer than a couple of paragraphs (or less), you risk allowing your reader to drift out of the scene.

The only thing anchoring your reader in the scene is your characters and what they’re doing. If the characters are talking or thinking for a long time without interacting with anyone or anything else, they might as well be floating in space, which can make the reader feel like they’re floating in space. That’s not to say that they’ve forgotten where the scene is taking place or who else is involved, just that it can feel that way if this is how the character acts.

How you can fix it:

If your characters have a lot to say, try to include the other characters as well. Have them ask questions or make comments so it feels like a scene and not a soliloquy.

If your character is around others when he/she is deep in thought, try to include the other characters in some way. If the POV character is thinking about something that the other characters can see, why not give voice to one of the other characters in between thought paragraphs?

If the character is alone when he/she is deep in thought, is there a way they can interact with their environment? Unless they’re standing in front of a wall, they should be able to see, smell, feel or hear something.

If your character is absolutely, completely lost in thought, is there a way you can bring some sort of image into it? For example, on page 216 of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Katniss is thinking about how to treat a burn she receives. Almost the entire page is a paragraph describing a memory; however, there is still action in this memory and, therefore, there is something for the reader to imagine.

3. Not knowing when to/not to use said

Some people will tell you to use descriptive speech tags and others will tell you there’s nothing wrong with said. Both are true, but when do you follow the former and when do you follow the latter? And when do you use no speech tags at all?

Using anything but said and using nothing but said both get exhausting and boring very fast.

How you can fix it:

Below is a rough guide to what kind of speech tag to use. Please bear in mind that it is only a guide and will not and should not apply to every situation.

Said is unobtrusive–a way of letting the reader know who’s talking without making a song and dance about it. Specific verbs (e.g. whispered, shouted, mumbled) give the reader information about how the words are being said. Adverbial tags can also give extra information about how something is being said, but more often than not they can be replaced with a stronger verb (e.g. she said loudly can be replaced with she shouted). Writers can also fall into the trap of telling where it’s better to show when using adverbial tags, which can make the writing bland. Sometimes telling is better, but with speech tags, it’s usually better to absorb the reader in the conversation. If you’ve used an adverbial tag, go back and have a look at it. Is there a better way you could get the message across?

What you need to pay attention to when determining what speech tags to use is the context of the speech. If the reader is already aware of the manner in which a character is talking, it won’t be necessary to remind them every time the character speaks. If there are only two characters in the conversation, it won’t be necessary to finish each quote with he said/she said. Going back to #2, you can also do away with speech tags entirely and use action to demonstrate how a character is feeling, while also grounding the reader in the scene.

The key to avoiding repetition and blandness is to find a balance between using the unobtrusive said, using something more specific, and mixing it up with a bit of action, which means you might not even need a tag at all.

4. Too much description/overwriting

Sometimes it’s better to tell and not show. Some details just aren’t important enough to warrant a lengthy description. If you want your reader to know that it’s raining, you can write something better than “It was raining”, but there’s no need to go overboard and write a poem about how the puddles on the asphalt looked like a great abyss.

Think of description like camera focus. The more you describe something, the more focus you put on it. If you put enough focus on something, you eliminate everything else. What’s this? A close-up. What does a close-up in a movie tell you? That object of the close-up is significant.

Be wary: when you write thirty words describing the way the moonlight is reflecting off the inky black lake, you might not be just setting the scene. You might also be giving the lake undue emphasis, and it’s probably going to irritate your reader when they realise there’s nothing significant about the lake at all, you were just showing off your imagery skills.

How you can fix it:

Keep it real. What would the character notice, what would they think about it and is it worth the attention? And try not to focus on sight. Your characters have more than one way to perceive their environment, and incorporating their other senses can help build a 3D setting for your reader rather than just painting them a picture. Give the reader enough to imagine the scene, and no more.

5. Not knowing when to/not to use adverbs

There’s a lot of writing advice out there that will tell you to cut all adverbs. The result is that many writers now think adverbs exist only to eat their children and wouldn’t dare to ever use one.

There is truth to the advice, but to say “The road to hell is paved with adverbs”? Really, Stephen King? And his dandelion analogy assumes there’s no editing process.

Adverbs aren’t evil, but there is such a thing as using them ineffectively. Which of the below are more descriptive?

She ran quickly or She sprinted

“It’s a long way down,” he said nervously or “It’s a long way down,” he said

He was shamefully prone to anxiety or He was prone to anxiety

She sprinted not only gets to the point faster, it also creates a more powerful image for the reader. “It’s a long way down,” he said gives no indication of how the speaker is speaking or feeling; however, “It’s a long way down,” he said nervously is telling, not showing. Rather than using an adverb here, the writer could describe the speaker’s body language. He was shamefully prone to anxiety tells you how the character feels about being prone to anxiety and there is no stronger word to replace “shamefully prone”.

How you can fix it:

Ask yourself:

How would the meaning of the sentence change if the adverb was removed?

Can the adverb and verb be replaced by a single verb?

Does the action really need clarification?

Does the adverb add something to the sentence that can’t be described in another way?

6. No conflict in the beginning

The first few chapters of a lot of stories I’ve read involve the main character plodding along in their daily life. This is a good thing as the reader needs to get a feel for your character before the big plot things happen, but that doesn’t mean the first few chapters should be without conflict. I don’t want to read about a character waking up, looking at themselves in the mirror, getting dressed, getting coffee, going to work, getting home, going on a date etc. for three chapters. It’s boring and I don’t care about any of it.

The confusion might be caused by common story structure theories that say the main conflict enters the story at the first plot point, or 25% into the story. But this doesn’t mean there should be zero conflict at the beginning! At the beginning of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone Harry was told ‘no funny business’ or he’d be grounded. Not long after that, there was some vanishing glass and an escaped boa constrictor. After this happened there was a mysterious letter addressed to Harry, and he spent an entire chapter trying to get hold of it as the weirdness escalated. There’s conflict and a goal right off the bat, and the story hasn’t even really started yet. In The Hunger Games Katniss faces the Reaping. In The Hobbit Bilbo finds himself hosting a dinner party for dwarfs and being asked to go and fight a dragon.

How you can fix it:

Take a look at all the books you’ve read. Most of them (if not all) start with some sort of problem or goal. Study up on this to help you realise what makes a good beginning.

Don’t fill your first few chapters with characterisation and nothing else. Build your character in the context of a problem or goal.

Keep in mind that you find your characters more interesting than your reader does. What you like about your character might not be enough to keep the reader’s interest.

What’s going on in your character’s life? How is this going to influence what happens when the conflict or story goal takes the stage?

What would happen if you cut your beginning out of the story? Would the plot still make sense? Maybe it’s better to start the story at a later point.

7. Lack of story structure

When you write a first draft, whether you’ve planned it or not, there are going to be structural flaws. Maybe halfway through you thought of a way to solidify a character’s motivation. Maybe at the climax you thought of a way to strengthen your conflict. Maybe somewhere in the middle you had no idea where you were going with this and slugged your way through some boring scenes. It’s all good; this is how stories come together.

What should happen next is that you revise your draft with story structure in mind. There’ll be a lot of “I should add a scene here about this” and “what was I thinking when I wrote that?” and after a few goes, you’ll have a story.

Writers don’t always do this though (which, by the way, makes my job take longer and cost more). They’ll go through and fix all of the obvious problems, but what remains is a manuscript that still lacks a solid structure. It’s messy to read, it’s confusing, it’s clearly not thought out, and it feels like the writer is giving me the finger. I’ll regret paying for the book, stop reading it and leave a negative review on Goodreads. Is that worth not giving your book a good edit?

How you can fix it:

Read a lot. Make sure you have a decent grasp on different story structures. Make sure you understand the way stories progress, the way they’re paced and what keeps the reader engaged.

Re-outline. Or if you pantsed your way through the first draft, make an outline. Write a checklist for what each scene should accomplish and what each chapter should accomplish. Make a timeline of how the events progress and how the tension increases. Don’t base this on what you’ve written, base it on what you’ve figured out about your plot.

Edit ruthlessly. If a scene doesn’t measure up to your new plan, cut it. If it’s in the wrong place, move it.

#writing tips

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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Website to find suitable surnames for your characters

#writing #writing tips

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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Priceless!

The first task of the Triwizard Tournament was actually Rita Skeeter.

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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So, who wants a copy of Warcross by Marie Lu for the holidays?

To celebrate this festive season and reaching 7.5K followers I’m giving away a copy of Warcross!!

For the millions who log in every day, Warcross isn’t just a game—it’s a way of life. The obsession started ten years ago and its fan base now spans the globe, some eager to escape from reality and others hoping to make a profit. Struggling to make ends meet, teenage hacker Emika Chen works as a bounty hunter, tracking down players who bet on the game illegally.

- Just be following me & reblog this post to enter!

- Open worldwide! (Be willing to give me your address)

- Closes 31st December 2017!

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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advice for writing a stutterer from an actual stutterer;

okay no shade at all I just want all of u to learn and grow and become better writers! so here’s a handy tip list!

we don’t stutter on every word. okay, sometimes it can seem it, but honestly, we don’t, so leave a few words in there to give your readers some breathing room.

we stutter more on specific sounds. for me, f and s sounds are big ones. everyone has their thing and most stutterers have sounds that are harder to get out.

we don’t just stutter at the beginning of words and sentences. okay, honestly this is a big one for me. sometimes, a word starts off really well and goes down the drain at the second syllable! and the stutter doesn’t disappear once we’ve made it past the first word - it clings in there, so don’t forget it.

some of us don’t always stutter. some, not all, of us have what’s known as an anxious stutter, which generally comes alongside anxiety disorders. so, while it may be usually present, when a person with an anxious stutter is particularly comfortable with a situation, it tends to get better (or even almost disappear).

we don’t stutter when we swear. this is why some of us can stutter and stutter and stutter on a word and then shout fuck and everything’s cool. as far as science knows, this is because swearing is from a more primitive part of the brain, and so it bypasses the bit that makes us stutter! it’s so cool honestly.

we don’t stutter when we sing. the biggest two reasons for this one is 1) music comes from a different part of the brain to talking (language=left; music=right), and so it once again bypasses the stutter, or 2) ‘easy voice’, which is the voice that people sing in, is softer and smoother, and the sounds are longer so there’s less opportunity to stutter. either option is way cool but we don’t stutter when we sing.

sometimes, we give up on words. after a certain amount of stuttering on a certain word, you may see a stutterer take a deep breath and either try again, or replace it with a synonym. sometimes that word just won’t fit right in our mouths!

we hate it when people try to guess what we’re trying to say or try to speed us up. this might be a more personal thing for me, but there’s nothing I hate more than that clicky sound people make or the weird hand gestures or being told to “spit it out.” because we can’t control this shit and it gets tiring. it’s better just to let the person get it out and take their time with it, so when you’re writing, keep this in mind!

it gets worse when we’re anxious or stressed, and when we’re excited! I get really really stuttery when I’m enthusiastic about the topic of conversation, because I know so much about that thing that I try to talk really fast and my mouth can’t keep up! it’s the same when I’m anxious or stressed - when there’s more on our minds, the more everything gets a little muddled.

I hope this was helpful! feel free to add on and spread around!

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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At age 23, Tina Fey was working at a YMCA. At age 23, Oprah was fired from her first reporting job. At age 24, Stephen King was working as a janitor and living in a trailer.

At age 27, Vincent Van Gogh failed as a missionary and decided to go to art school. At age 28, J.K. Rowling was a suicidal single parent living on welfare.

At age 28, Wayne Coyne ( from The Flaming Lips) was a fry cook. At age 30, Harrison Ford was a carpenter. At age 30, Martha Stewart was a stockbroker. At age 37, Ang Lee was a stay-at-home-dad working odd jobs. Julia Child released her first cookbook at age 39, and got her own cooking show at age 51. Vera Wang failed to make the Olympic figure skating team, didn’t get the Editor-in-Chief position at Vogue, and designed her first dress at age 40. Stan Lee didn’t release his first big comic book until he was 40. Alan Rickman gave up his graphic design career to pursue acting at age 42. Samuel L. Jackson didn’t get his first movie role until he was 46.

Morgan Freeman landed his first movie role at age 52. Kathryn Bigelow only reached international success when she made The Hurt Locker at age 57. Grandma Moses didn’t begin her painting career until age 76. Louise Bourgeois didn’t become a famous artist until she was 78. Whatever your dream is, it is not too late to achieve it. You aren’t a failure because you haven’t found fame and fortune by the age of 21. Hell, it’s okay if you don’t even know what your dream is yet. Even if you’re flipping burgers, waiting tables or answering phones today, you never know where you’ll end up tomorrow. Never tell yourself you’re too old to make it.

Never tell yourself you missed your chance.

Never tell yourself that you aren’t good enough.

You can do it. Whatever it is.

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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“Get too near a Dementor and every good feeling, every happy memory will be sucked out of you. If it can, the Dementor will feed on you long enough to reduce you to something like itself — soul-less and evil. You’ll be left with nothing but the worst experiences of your life.”

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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12 Dancing Princesses

Stories inspired by or retelling The Twelve Dancing Princesses

Princess of the Midnight Ball by Jessica Day George

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

The Night Dance by Suzanne Weyn

The Princess Curse by Merrie Haskell

The Girls at the Kingfisher Club by Genevieve Valentine

MORE RECOMMENDATIONS

12 Dancing Princesses Retelling

Popular 12 Dancing Princesses Books

Enjoy these recommendations? Consider buying me a coffee!

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brianblogss · 8 years ago

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As you probably already know, many studyblrs rely on bullet journaling to organise their day-to-day lives. I have received numerous questions about bulleting journaling ranging from how to start one to whether there is a limit of who can use it. In an attempt to summarise everything to do with bullet journals, I’ve created this post! I’m hoping to outline each possible question you could have and provide some answers.

What is bullet journaling? Bullet journalling is a customisable organisational tool which uses indicators to map out and prioritise your monthly, weekly and/or daily tasks. It can be a planner, a to-do list, a sketchbook, and a notebook. There is no limit to what it can be. You are in total control. Bulletjournal.com is a great place to start if you’re looking to find out more!

How is it better than a planner? This is very dependent on you as a person and what organisational tools you find to be most effective. If you find planners restricting in terms of customisation or layout, then bullet journaling is perhaps a good alternative. Many people enjoy the freedom and creative outlet which it gives.

Can anyone do it? Yes, absolutely. I’ve received messages from people saying they aren’t artistically talented and therefore don’t think they can be a bullet journalist but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Using a bullet journal doesn’t require you to be an artist. I certainly am not and still use it! I choose very simple spreads without the fancy calligraphy, doodles or complicated designs. The important thing to remember is that it is usefulness over aesthetics!!

What notebook do I need? Any notebook is perfect - that choice is yours to make. Most bullet journalists use either grid or dotted paged notebooks. However, others choose to use blank or lined ones. I personally use grid notebooks - I find this easiest to write. Whilst the brand of your notebook doesn’t matter, popular ones include Moleskine, Leuchtturm1917 or Rhodia. I use the Arc Customisable Notebook by Staples in A5 for my bullet journal. I find it offers everything other notebooks would but, instead, uses a discbound system which means you can add and remove paper. The refill paper is also thicker than other brands so bleeding or ghosting aren’t a problem. Here are some pictures of my bullet journal in case you don’t know what a discbound notebook looks like!

Everyone differs in the notebook they prefer so do some research and figure out one that might work for you. A couple of tips for choosing would be, find a design that lays flat (I seriously hate when notebooks don’t!) and find one which doesn’t have really thick/dark lines. If they are dark it can sometimes be difficult to see your writing at a quick glance, especially if you use a black pen.

What supplies do I need? Again, there is no set supplies. You can use anything you fancy. I tend to stick with using a black Pilot G2 in 0.38 and Zebra Mildliners. Other people will use coloured pens to differentiate between subjects or special brush pens for headers. Some people also choose to decorate their spreads with stickers, washi tape and post it notes. Your choice of supplies is totally up to you - again there is no set requirement!! It is also worth noting that you shouldn’t feel pressured into buying anything just because it is popular!

Once I’ve gathered everything, where do I start? The best way to start is by planning a few pages to go at the front of your notebook. Some people choose to start with a contents page and therefore will number each page throughout their journal. Usually, they will begin with a yearly overview or yearly breakdown. Followed by an index page where you write out the key that you’ll follow. It can be a comprehensive list or just a couple of symbols, your choice. Here are some examples. Other popular pages include yearly goals, a to-read or to-watch list, habit trackers (e.g. for mood, sleep, grades, exercise, etc), expenses lists. Here are some photos of my 2017 bullet journal and a run-down of all the pages I’ve included and plan to include during the year. Once you’ve done the initial set-up, you can get onto making either your monthly, weekly and/or daily spreads!

What other pages can I include? This is a really limitless question. You can make absolutely anything you desire. Here are a few more ideas:

pages for habit tracking:

sleeping on time; chores; exercise; spending (e.g. under $10); mood; skin care routine; water intake; updated your social media; eat fruit/something healthy; complimenting someone; did an act of kindness; using a new word; did over the recommended 10,000 steps; read at least one chapter; practiced your hobby; ‘don’t break the chain’; 100 days of productivity;

pages to log:

movie review; music reviews; book reviews; travel; dreams; future goals; expenses; gratitude log; sentence-a-day log; tv series episode tracker; weight gain/loss/maintain; follower count; savings; accomplishments; upcoming releases; self-care practice;

pages for fun:

pen swatches; washi tape samples; doodles/sketchbook; movie tickets; flower press; photographs/polaroids; stickers; quotes; recipes; playlists; bucket list; favourite lyrics; ‘fuck it’ page (rant about things that annoy you); jokes/puns; diary; concert ticket pages; outfit inspiration/ideas; handwriting samples; six word stories; writing prompts;

pages of use:

contact information for family/friends; birthdays; gift ideas; wishlist; important events; emails/passwords (don’t write your full passwords! just easy hints); discount codes/coupons; random reflections; self-care tips; mental health tracker;

pages for planning:

monthly overviews; monthly goals; monthly reflections; weekly spread; weekly goals; weekly reflections; daily spread; daily goals; daily reflections; (just to clarify I wouldn’t suggest doing all of them but maybe a monthly overview + review and then weekly or daily spreads)

pages for students:

exam dates; semester dates; semester information (e.g. course info/teacher/rooms/etc); revision checklist; homework tracker; colour code; assessment due dates; grade tracker; definitions; achievements;

Where can I find inspiration? Here, there and everywhere! Tumblr is full of it, Pinterest has loads of boards dedicated to spreads and Instagram has the entire bullet journal community to look at (and join!!). Below are a few places to look at:

my bullet journal tag

my bullet journal pinterest board

bullet journals on pinterest

bullet journals on instagram

Any final tips for beginners? Just give it a go! Test it out, see how you like it. Play around with different layouts and spreads. Find out what works for you and what doesn’t. It is all about improving your own organisation and productivity. If it turns out you don’t like it, try another method of organisation!

Hopefully, this post has answered a few questions if you’ve been thinking about starting a bullet journal. It’s a great way to organise yourself whilst customising it exactly to your needs! If you want to, you can share your own spreads! Remember to use the #bulletjournal or #bujo tags!

Thank you so much for reading! If you’ve started a bullet journal that you’d like me to reblog, tag #emmastudies in the post!

Other masterposts by me:

how to create a study schedule

how to improve your handwriting

how to deal with moving schools or university

how to create a colour code

how to take notes from a textbook

how to take effective in class/lecture notes

popular apps for students

step-by-step guide to writing a five-paragraph essay

10 small tips to improve your productivity

60 stationery brands to check out